The wind whistled past Takakai's ears as he sprinted down the hallway at speeds that would shatter world records. In just a few breaths, he reached the corridor's end and turned toward where the girl had fled.
Another hallway?
Takakai distinctly remembered this corridor ending at a staircase—the same one he'd ascended in his earlier vision. Yet now, turning the corner revealed an identical passageway, filled with an unsettling sense of déjà vu.
A loop?
Though the sight raised alarms, Takakai's focus remained fixed on the small figure stumbling ahead. The spectral version of Chiyo might be dangerous, but this human-seeming girl was undoubtedly the key to unraveling the dungeon's core grudge.
THUD!
His enhanced footsteps shook the floorboards as he activated Berserk Blessing, surging forward with Hayasaka tucked under one arm.
Ahead, the girl—hearing his approach—tripped and fell before scrambling into a side room.
By the time Takakai reached the doorway, he found only another identical hallway stretching beyond.
Every door led to another copy of the same corridor. Even the room he and Hayasaka had exited now blended seamlessly into this endless maze.
"Did we... catch her?" Hayasaka asked weakly, still queasy from the abrupt movements.
"Not that easy. This place is playing spatial tricks," Takakai sighed, setting her down.
He'd let urgency cloud his judgment. Of course the orphanage's deepest layer wouldn't surrender its secrets so readily. Still, the lack of imminent danger suggested this was indeed a "safe" zone—provided they didn't provoke whatever rules governed it.
"That girl... she looked like the one from before..." Hayasaka ventured cautiously.
"Yeah, but less stab-happy. We need to make contact, though she clearly thinks we're threats," Takakai mused, scanning the monotonous hallways.
Us? The bad guys? Hayasaka barely suppressed a disbelieving twitch. The memory of Takakai getting gutted by this very girl's cleaver made the accusation absurd.
Yet if Takakai deemed this child crucial, she'd help however possible.
"Maybe... I could track her? I've had training in surveillance," she offered, steeling herself despite her fear.
Takakai's eyebrows rose. He had been impressively stalked by her during his dates. "Lead the way."
Hayasaka tied her hair into a side ponytail and knelt, scrutinizing the wooden floorboards.
No obvious footprints, but—
There.
A nearly imperceptible variance in dust distribution along the wall's base. The faintest disturbance from rapid footsteps.
"This way."
Her voice grew steadier as she pieced together the trail:
Right at the third door. Left at the fifth. End of the hall, left again. First right...
Though every corridor looked identical to Takakai, Hayasaka's meticulous tracking gradually bore fruit.
An hour later—
A small figure darted across a distant intersection.
"Chiyo!" Takakai called, but the girl only ran faster.
Even with Berserk Blessing, her speed defied human limits, her small form weaving effortlessly through the labyrinth.
"Chiyo, we're here to help!"
No response.
"We know about your brother, Ryouhei! About your family! We can—"
Nothing.
Takakai gritted his teeth. Time for harsh measures.
"Your friend—the Butcher who liked dogs? I've got him. Keep running, and I'll make him suffer."
THUD.
The girl faceplanted.
Slowly, she rose—turning to reveal a face mottled with bruises, her expression hollow yet unmistakably human. No spectral distortions. Just a wounded child.
She waited silently as they approached.
Now I look like the villain, Takakai thought wryly, recalling his still-tender stomach wound.
"We're not enemies, Chiyo. I won't hurt your friend. I just want to talk—to help you," he said softly, inching closer.
The girl stared blankly, her dark brown eyes utterly lifeless.
Then—
A twitch.
Her head cocked at an unnatural angle as a grotesque smile split her face.
[Sensei... you're lying.]
The temperature plummeted.
[You don't want to help. You want to escape. To destroy this place and save your precious people.]
Rust-colored light pulsed as the hallway walls bled.
[You're like all the other teachers—liars. But I'm not stupid. I won't be tricked again.]
A corroded cleaver materialized in her grip.
[Liar sensei... adults like you are the worst!]
The world shattered into crimson.
Then she was there—
—blade already arcing toward Takakai's throat.